Dolly Parton, everyone loves her in ‘Rockstar’

The queen of country proclaims her rock sensibility in an album full of duets with high-flying and wide-ranging figures, from Paul McCartney to Miley Cyrus

Tronco’s new albums, Pascal Comelade & The Limiñanas and Aaron Diehl & The Knights, also reviewed

The great lady of country, Dolly Partonfaces what she herself presents as his first album rock after almost six decades of career. His voice and his character allow the incursion, and you come to wonder why it has taken so long. Work, of course, which is anything but shy or discreet: ‘Rockstar’, title without half measures, comes to tell us from its title song that she feels like this, a rock’n’roll star, also understood as a place that transcends gender, an attitude towards life. “They say that if you can dream it / you can achieve it,” she sings, surrounded by curling guitars.

‘Rockstar’ reflects a clearly classical notion of rock and with hard-metal sympathy. It is the presumed influence of her husband (since 1966), Carl Dean, apparently a big fan of bands like Led Zeppelin and AC/DC. and with his extra long guest list, one for almost each of the 30 songs, tells us that Dolly Parton has many friends. She failed to balance agendas to include Mick Jagger and she received a cordial refusal from Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, but the parade of glittering colleagues is spectacular. It’s a pity that the repertoire combines some premiere pieces with a selection of milestones from yesterday and the day before, some of which are excessively obvious: from ‘Every breath you take’ (with Sting) to ‘Purple rain’, passing through ‘Wrecking ball’ (with Miley Cyrus) and a ‘(I can’t get no) Satisfaction’ shared with Pink and Brandi Carlile and that tastes like plain and simple entertainment.

“Greedy” politicians

Among the focuses of interest are new numbers like ‘I want you back’, in a duet with Steve Tyler (Aerosmith) that works, as well as the fun and rock’n’roll ‘I dreamed about Elvis’. And the surly ‘Bygones’, with Rob Halford (Judas Priest) as a tough ‘partner’. In ‘World on Fire’, Parton tries to lift her own ‘We will rock you’ with a martial rhythm and text that points to climate change and government inaction, pointing out “greedy politicians, present and past.” Curiously, five ‘tracks’ further we came across Kid Rockdeclared ‘Trumpist’, in the drinkable ‘Either or’.

It is nice to go hand in hand with Stevie Nicks in an unpublished piece of this, ‘What has rock and roll ever done to you’, and the celebration of shared (gender) struggles is observed in that accusatory ‘You are no good’ that Parton marks herself alongside Emmylou Harris and Sheryl Crow. And it is worth mentioning a ‘Let it be’ with a heartfelt ‘crescendo’, supported by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starrand a lot of ‘vip’ duets, in short, to line up in the showcase: with Elton JohnSimon Le Bon, Debbie Harry, Peter Frampton, Pat Benatar… Above all, Mrs. Parton’s voice, very distinguishable, with its own entity and still pimpant at 77. Jordi Bianciotto

Other albums of the week

After ‘Tralará’ and ‘Nainonai’ comes ‘Tutupá’ and the blacksmith brothers They continue strolling through the different corners of popular songs with the candor and self-confidence of the first day. Here they further expand the range of styles (cumbia, isa canaria, rancheras…) and the arsenal of domestic instruments to sing about love, heartbreak, sharpeners, hospitals and the passage of time (beautiful minimal version of the ‘Bookends Theme’ by Simon & Garfunkel). Rafael Tapounet

From the vicinity of the Perpinyà station, center of the world according to Dalí, the incredible alliance of the pianist and the tandem Lionel & Marie Limiñana. Beautiful rock coven with a garage drive, mostly instrumental, between electronic psychophonies and dizzying trances, somewhere between Marcel Duchamp, Neu! and The Cramps. And between the lines we can perceive the guitars of Xarim Arest and Lalo López and the discordant breath of Mark Cunningham. J.B.

In 1945, the composer and pianist Mary Lou Williams premiered a suite inspired by the zodiac signs that was destined to be a milestone in the encounter between jazz and classical music. But he was never able to record it with an orchestra, although he did record it in a beautiful trio version. What would it have sounded like in all its glory? Pianist Aaron Diehl and chamber group The Knights They make Williams’ idea a reality. And in her hands it sounds diaphanous, elegant, light, in fantastic balance between swing and the language of European composers. A trip in 12 stops, each one different from the next and all unique – a melody, a color, a memorable arrangement. Almost 80 years had to pass but yes, Williams’ suite was something unique. Roger Rock